He's Fine With Running, Sometimes
by indehed
Summary: (McDanno) Steve wants to know what Danny's problem with running is.


**Pairing: Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams**  
 **Author's note: random fluffy episode tag, unbeta'd. I really should be writing other things, grr, my brain. And yes, Steve pretty much quotes Legally Blonde. I blame Grace.**  
 **Originally published (on ao3): January 2015**

* * *

Steve sat down on what little space remained on the bench, squeezed in tightly to Danny's side, he reached his arm around Danny's back to press it warmly to Grace's shoulder. "What did I tell you, kiddo. It was in the bag."

"Thanks, Uncle Steve. I couldn't have done it without you."

"What am I, chopped liver?" Danny asked, turning to Grace and then taking in the smiles of everyone around them who enjoyed seeing them like this.

"You know what I mean, Danno," Grace almost whined as she rolled her eyes. "Uncle Steve didn't need to help but he did."

"Oh, I get it," Danny nodded his head in understanding. "Uncle Steve was a volunteer. I, however, was conscripted to spend all that time with you preparing, when I could have been on the couch watching TV."

"Exactly," Grace beamed at the people around the table. "You're my dad, that's what dads are for." She looked at Samantha for help.

"That, and money," Samantha put her hand out across the table and looked pointedly at her father.

"Williams, what have you started here?" Lou asked, annoyance not reaching his eyes as he turned to his daughter again. "The Bank of Dad is currently closed. You know it only opens at the start of every month," he said and Samantha leaned back with a frustrated growl.

"Nice try," Kono said to her. She pointed between Grace and Samantha. "Just remember that Bank of Dad is like insurance firms. They always say no the first time or two, but if you badger them enough, they fold like a house of cards."

"Please, don't ever talk to my child again," Danny said to Kono, lifting his head and squinting into the sun.

"Ditto," Lou agreed.

"So what did Danno do? Exactly?" Steve asked, getting back to his curiosity and prodding Danny's shoulder with the arm he now had slung around him. "Because we know you don't like swimming or running, hence my involvement in the raising of your child…"

"The r-" Danny started but decided to let it go. "I'll have you know, Grace and I enjoy many activities together."

"You know," Chin put in. "This really does intrigue me, because, objectively, Danny, you're a fit guy. How can you get that without exercising?"

"I exercise, I just don't do stupid things like you guys. I mean, why would I go running for the sake of running? It just means that when you're out there, all you think about is the fact that you're running. And that you're running to get fit."

"Well, that is the point," Steve said. "But exercise not only makes you look good and feel good, but it releases endorphins. And endorphins make you happy, and since you're one of the most miserable people I know, it explains a few things."

"Hey! I just said I exercise!" The back of Danny's hand flew up and whacked against Steve's chest. "Football, baseball, hockey. Team sports! You get a work out but there's camaraderie, friendly competition, tactics and team building. Before you know it, you've been out exercising for hours without feeling every minute dragging along like when you're out doing lengths of a pool or running round the same circuit over and over…"

"You never made the track team, huh," Chin said, very matter-of-fact but with a hidden hint of poking fun behind it.

"I never wanted to be on the damn team," Danny said back, with a bit of a pout that signaled to Steve that there was maybe a story behind it that he'd try and drag out of Danny later.

"So how's the garlic shrimp?" Steve changed the subject…

* * *

Grace had gone to bed, Danny had just said goodnight to her and wandered back into his living room to see Steve with the remote control, flicking away from what Danny had been happily watching all of two minutes ago.

He shook his head as he resumed his seat, even though maybe it was a little closer to Steve than before and Steve noticed, if the arm being thrown around his shoulder was an indication.

"So you gonna tell me what happened when you tried out for track?" he asked, nonchalant, eyes on the screen as the channels scrolled through.

"What is it with you? Huh?" Danny turned his body more into Steve's. "You hear something about my life and you just pick and pick until you get more."

Steve stuck his bottom lip out. "I'm just curious about what happened to make you hate running so much. I mean, you have to do it in your job almost every day and yet, you won't go out with Grace. I just… like I said, I'm curious."

Danny picked at imaginary lint on his pants, then his hand fell to his thigh and he sighed with resignation. "Fine." He took a second. "This is embarrassing," he mumbled. "There was this guy-"

"Ah," Steve smiled. "You tried to get on so you could spend more time with your crush? That's sweet."

"It is not sweet. It's horrific," Danny raised a finger to shut Steve up and let him continue. "We were running, we were trying to beat each others' times and then I gave him this friendly shove, only he fell."

"He got hurt?"

"He uh… there was a stack of hurdles on the side and he tripped over them. Broke his ankle. Thing is, he wasn't just out for the season, the fracture was so bad, he couldn't run for so long that he missed his chance at getting a scholarship so yeah, I ruined the poor guy's life and all because I was trying to impress him."

"So you don't like running because you feel guilty about what happened?"

"He never spoke to me again. Blamed me for it so of course, I feel guilty."

"It was an accident," Steve argued on Danny's behalf.

"Maybe," Danny said, though his heart would always believe it was his fault and that he somehow ruined Greg's life, even if the guy was doing perfectly alright now with a decent job and a family of his own - his mom and Greg's mom still ran into each other at the grocery store sometimes, both doing the mom thing of waxing lyrical about their kids and their successes.

"But you're fine with people _actively_ trying to hurt each other like in hockey?" Steve asked, confusion on his face.

"Hey, I don't try and dissect your childhood traumas and point out the illogical parts."

"Actually-" Steve started and Danny shut him up with a hand over his mouth.

"Drop it? Please? I asked nicely." After a moment he took his hand away.

"I'm not so sure that covering someone's mouth is generally the nicest way to ask them to shut up."

"I hate you."

"Well, not unless you do it with your mouth rather than your-" He continued on until he was shut up again. This time, Danny took heed of his words and used his mouth, kissing Steve so hard that their teeth clashed, making them wince and almost draw apart until the kiss instead sunk into something warm and sweet, tongues gently pressing against the other in a practiced give and take.

If there was one thing that Danny loved about kissing Steve like this, now, it was the familiarity. That they'd done it so many times and knew every nuance. It was comforting and Danny liked comfort and routine and the familiar.

When they pulled apart Danny grinned at Steve, one hand on his chest, fingers playing in his t-shirt. "Feel like releasing some endorphins?"

"As in… a bit of a team game? The kind where you lose track of time and enjoy some friendly competition while you do it?"

"Sounds about right," Danny murmured, nose rubbing lightly against Steve's as he teased a kiss. "How about we start with the first person to get naked, gets to choose the position."

"That's something I can get behind," Steve answered.

"Only if you get naked first," Danny laughed and quickly stood, getting a head start on running to the bedroom. Because he was fine with running, sometimes.


End file.
